Rocket ready to carry China's 1st cargo spacecraft

China has prepared a new rocket which is set to carry the country’s first ever cargo ship into deep space.

According to China’s Manned Space Engineering Office, a new generation carrier rocket was transported to a launch site in Hainan Province for pre-launch trials.

The rocket belongs to Long March 7 series and is intended to carry the Tianzhou-1 spacecraft to China’s space lab in April. The carrier rocket features a number of new technologies, and uses liquid oxygen and kerosene to fuel its engine.

It has a loading capacity of up to 13.5 tons and completed its maiden flight in June 2016. Tianzhou 1’s mission is crucial for China as the country is trying to take its final steps towards establishing a space station by 2022.